How to Be Creative in Textile Art E-Book

Julia Triston

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 123

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

It's a question asked by many budding textile artists: how can I be more creative? You've got a few ideas and know some techniques, but you're not sure how to get started or make your work hang together. This book shows you how. It explains the creative process from the very beginning: where to find inspiration and how to harness those ideas; how to gather source material; how to pull together what you have. The authors then take you on a journey to develop a design. Learn how to put elements together to make a cohesive whole and develop a theme, learning established design rules along the way. Part Three, Moving into Stitch, gives you a range of techniques and easy experiments with which to turn your design into stitched-textile work. From choosing what fabrics to use, to layering, creating texture and adding embellishment, it covers the key techniques to try. This is a terrific book for those starting out in textiles who really do want to be as creative as they can possibly be. 

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Do you ever ask yourself ′how can I be more creative?′ Or do you ever wish that you had the tools and confidence to develop exciting textile work that expresses your own creativity?

If so, this inspiring book is for you. Whether you are a complete beginner, accomplished embroiderer, student or teacher, it will boost your skills, confidence and enthousiasm.

Packed with ideas, suggestions, tips and techniques, it demystifies the whole process of developing and creating your own designs and stitched textiles.

The authors, both renowned and experienced textile artists and teachers, take you on a step-by-step journey explaining the creative process from the very beginning. Discover how to find inspiration, gather source materials and choose a theme; develop original and creative designs using established elements and principles; explore traditional and contemporary techiniques in hand and machine stitch; and turn your own ideas into sucessful stitched textile art.

This book is the perfect resource for everyone interested in textile art who wants to be as creative as they can be.

Julia Triston is a professional artist, designer and lecturer in stitched textles and contemporary art and design techniques. She has etablished a vibrant studio in the heart of Durham City where she teaches and creates her distinctive artwork. Julia has over 20 years′ experience teaching in the creative industries, leading and delivering academic courses at all levels. Julia is co-director of StitchBusiness, an award-winning international stitch school specializing in City & Guilds courses and masterclasses in design, embroidery and stitched textiles. Julia is the creator of the Bra-ra dress and is known for the quirky use of raw materials, colour and embellishment in her textile work. Her work has been extensively documented and published in written and broadcast media. She exhibits and sells her work widely, and is an active member of the prestigious Prism textile group.

Rachel Lombard is an award-winnning professional textile artist and designer who lives and works in County Durham. She has taught art, design and stitch techniques at FE colleges and community classes and is the internal verifier for all StitchBusiness City & Guilds courses. Rachel shares her passion for contemporary design and stitch through a programme of inspiring talks and workshops. Her artwork reflects her abiding interest in the creation and expression of individual, personal identity. Working predominantly with everyday and recycled papers, she uses colour, print and stitch to produce exciting, tactile surfaces and three-dimensional and functional items. Stitch, Classic Stitches and Flair magazines have all featured her work. Rachel exhibits and sells her artwork and is an active member of Fusion and Interface Arts.

Experimental Edges (Ali Kent, Caroline Pinnington, Janice MacDougall, Julia Triston, Rachel Lombard) Hand and machine embroidery on various fabrics and papers to create edges for textile projects.

For Nick and Zoë and Tim – without your love, support, constant encouragement and understanding, this book would not have been possible. Thanks for being there. To the memory of Maud and Tim Tratt – inspirational, creative grandparents who always encouraged me to believe in myself.

Julia Triston

For all my family, near and far, you are a continuous source of joy and inspiration! To the memory of my beloved Dad, Sidney John Sutherland – this book would have made him proud.

Rachel Lombard

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Part 1: Gathering

Chapter 1 Where to start?

Chapter 2 Searching for a source and finding inspiration

Part 2: Exploration and development

Chapter 3 Making connections

Chapter 4 Design development

Part 3: Moving on to stitch

Chapter 5 Ideas and possibilities, samples and experiments

Part 4: Making and evaluating

Chapter 6 Finalizing designs and creating your own textile

Health and safety

Glossary

Further reading

Organizations

Suppliers

Index

Shoes (Pauline Twyman). Free machine embroidery and embellishments on base of moulded cotton wool paper.

FOREWORD

We believe that everyone has the ability to develop work that expresses their individual creativity, although many people lack the confidence to interpret their ideas. By challenging existing ways of working and offering refreshing and accessible alternatives, How to be Creative in Textile Art will give you the tools to develop and enjoy the creativity that is innate in everyone.

While we can all be told how to do or make something, there is an exciting world beyond, based on your own ideas, your own sources, and your own references and preferences – things that are important and significant to you.

Beginning with your personal starting points, this book will guide and support you through the processes of creating a successful and rewarding piece of work – from selecting viable ideas and design development to completion and evaluation – enabling you to find your own creative solutions in the process of stitch and design.

Whether your projects are big or small, two- or three-dimensional, traditional or contemporary, How to be Creative in Textile Art will encourage you to ask questions and to examine different methods of exploring ideas for stitching, so that you can challenge yourself, develop your own individual style, discover innovative solutions, and pursue your chosen themes with confidence. Enjoy your unique creative journey and celebrate its expression through your own stitched textiles.

Clutch bag (Karine Richardson). Free machine embroidery, hand stitch and embellishments on pieced and dissolvable fabrics.

INTRODUCTION

How many times have you been to an exhibition and said to yourself, ‘I wish I could do that!’ or ‘I wish I’d thought of that!’? This is a very common occurrence, and the first thing to bear in mind is that however experienced the artist may be, everyone has to start at the beginning for each new body of work. The second thing to consider is that art is a reflection of the person creating it and your artwork will be a reflection of you. Engaging with your creativity and making a start is the difficult bit, but as you have picked up this book, you are already committed to taking the first steps.

Many people approach their textile project with a finished item in mind. This is an ‘end-loaded’ approach. This book will encourage you to make a start on your textile project (from your chosen theme) and develop your ideas as you work until a resolution for your final piece evolves. This is a ‘front-loaded’ approach and we will demonstrate how, by following the procedures in this book, this will enable you to develop a more expressive and richer body of work.

How to be Creative in Textile Art sets out a framework to guide you step by step through the processes of exploring, developing, making and evaluating your own stitched-textile project, placing an emphasis on the creative personal journey itself, rather than focusing on the finished project. We live in a busy world and finding time to be creative can be a struggle. By breaking down a project into a series of manageable stages, the whole process will become more achievable and less daunting.

Your creative journey is not just about the physical making of your textile project. Spending time looking at and thinking about your work is a necessary part of the process too, and should never be underestimated – this reflective practice will enable you to harness your creativity constructively. So remember, next time you go to an exhibition: be inspired not intimidated – you can do it too!

Handmade tassel (Janice MacDougall). Silk sari waste and wooden beads.

Lace Book (Julia Triston). Exploration of lace patterns: detail of overlapping cut, shaped, printed and stitched sketchbook pages.

PART 1 : GATHERING

Chapter 1

WHERE TO START?

turning your ideas into a project

selecting a theme and setting your boundaries

the purpose of a sketchbook

This chapter is about taking your first steps towards being creative with textiles and stitch. It will lead you through the early stages of how to choose a personal theme for your work and how to start the process of working directly and confidently into a sketchbook. This will enable you to generate ideas that will feed into, and enrich, your textile work.

Turning your ideas into a project

Ideas need to be turned into reality, and to realize your textile project it is important to choose a theme or source that appeals to you and captures your imagination. This will make the creative process easier and more enjoyable.

Keeping a sketchbook will enable you to have a personal creative space where everything relevant to your project can be stored. In your sketchbook you can:

•   gather information

•   record

•   evaluate

•   order

•   reference

•   sketch

•   stitch

•   list and keep notes

Beauty Sketchbook (Rachel Lombard). Explores how cosmetics are packaged and how the idea of beauty is presented.

Colour Sketchbook (Julia Triston). Pages show design development work of overlaying colour on colour.

Selecting a theme and  setting your boundaries

Having a theme running through your sketchbook is essential to the development of an interesting and individual body of work. Setting yourself some boundaries will enable you to focus on what to include and what to leave out. Surprisingly, you can be more creative if you impose limitations on yourself and narrow your options down. The table below shows how you can select a broad theme, break it down to a more specific focus, then further refine it into smaller, more manageable elements.

THEME

FOCUS

ELEMENTS

architecture

Durham Cathedral cityscapes

pillars archways weathered stone doorways door knockers stained-glass windows ecclesiastical vestments grids in high-rise blocks drain covers railings shop signs decorative tiles people reflections

nature

seaside birds

tidal marks and ripples ice cream and candy floss rockpools seaweed sand dunes flotsam and jetsam feathers flight patterns nests eggs tracks

clothing

uniforms

braiding buttons pocket details headwear fastenings colours and textures badges

The purpose of a sketchbook

Starting a sketchbook is both scary and exciting. Being faced with blank sheet after blank sheet can be a daunting prospect for some people, but can offer an inviting freedom for others. Sketchbooks are a personal space, and can be an entirely private one, somewhere to consider possibilities, develop and investigate your options, and resolve your ideas through exploration and experimentation. You do not have to show your sketchbook to anyone else.

Choosing a sketchbook

There is a vast range of sketchbooks to choose from, so how do you know which one will be right for you? Here are some points to consider:

•   the shape or format of the sketchbook – square, rectangular, portrait, landscape or defined (for example, leaf-shaped, heart-shaped). What is appealing to you? What is appropriate for your content?

•   the size of the sketchbook. Remember that it is easier to transport smaller sketchbooks, but smaller pages can limit the size of your drawings or your insertions within the pages.

•   the binding – a ring-bound sketchbook offers the possibility of easier page turning, but a ready-glued, perfect-bound pad is often much cheaper.

•   the pages – thick pages or thin ones? Handmade and irregular paper, or smooth and consistent surfaces? White, cream, buff, black or coloured pages?

•   cost – you do not have to buy a purpose-made sketchbook at all. You could make your own from lining paper, or from an old atlas, wallpaper sample books or recycled textbook pages.

Atlas Sketchbook (Rachel Lombard). Made from a third of an old atlas’s cover and torn pages. Hand and machine stitch with mother-of-pearl buttons.

Tips on keeping a sketchbook

Once you’ve chosen your sketchbook you might find the following tips handy, to help you to use it effectively:

•   always start a few pages in – this gives you the opportunity to fill in the first few pages with titles or content listings when you have finished your project. If you don’t use them, you can always tear them out.

•   you don’t have to work pages consecutively.

•   don’t be too precious with your pages – if you make a mistake, leave it in and come back to it later; it may be that you can work something over the top of it or layer it with another drawing or sample.

•   try rotating your sketchbook to work from different angles and directions.

•   remember that some pages will always be more successful than others.

•   you can start two different ideas from opposite ends of your sketchbook.

•   don’t go back and take things out – each page is a record of where you were then, not where you are now.

Being creative with your sketchbook

Many sketchbook users choose to work straight on to white pages. Others prefer to colour, shape or decorate their pages before working into them. Pages can be enhanced by:

•   folding to form flaps and hidden spaces.

•   cutting or tearing vertically or horizontally.

•   cutting or tearing away to add interest.

•   gluing, taping and stitching additions to extend the original page.

•   gluing or stitching together to make pockets for templates and patterns.

•   colouring with inks, tea bags, diluted paints, etc.

•   cutting out windows to reveal layers beneath.

•   stiffening – try emulsion, varnish or acrylic paint.

•   altering the edges – try shaping with scissors or tearing more randomly.

Essentially, sketchbooks are places to record and to experiment with your ideas. There is no right or wrong way to keep them. Beginning a sketchbook is the same as beginning an adventure – you know your starting point, but you never know quite where it is going to take you.

Elephant Sketchbook (Julia Triston). Block-printed sketchbook page overlaid with shaped, painted and embellished pages.

Sketchbook Pages (Rachel Lombard). Cut and curled page, experimenting with manipulated techniques and pattern development.

Solar Hanging Sketchbook (Rachel Lombard). Pages have been torn, reshaped, and stitched together. 

Wrought Sketchbook (Rachel Lombard). Primary source materials, wrought iron panel, photographs.

Chapter 2

SEARCHING FOR A SOURCE AND FINDING INSPIRATION

using titles as a starting point

gathering source material

your personal environment

out and about

Conclusion to Part 1

In Chapter 1 we looked at ways to begin a sketchbook. This chapter is about exploring your ideas, making choices and clarifying your starting points. Starting a project can feel daunting, but if you break it down into smaller and logical parts, it becomes more manageable and a less overwhelming task.

Using titles as a starting point